The wheel, one of the five basic machines of mankind, is defined as being “a solid disk or a rigid circular ring connected by spokes to a hub, designed to turn around an axle passed through the center.” The wheel, as described, existed this way for millennia and, while indispensable, was inefficient because it was susceptible to rapid wear and deterioration from both friction caused by the surfaces of the disk and axle rubbing together as the wheel turned and by shock and vibration caused by the wheel traveling over rough, uneven surfaces. It was in 1794 that Welsh inventor and carriage maker Philip Vaughan patented the roller bearing which, when used in the wheel, was the first fundamental improvement to it because it virtually eliminated friction and its inherent damage. Nevertheless, the wheel, now made immeasurably more efficient by the use of the roller bearing, was still susceptible to damage caused by shock and vibration.
In general, bicycle suspension refers to the system or systems used to suspend riders and all or part of the bicycles in order to protect them from the roughness of the terrain over which they travel. Besides providing obvious rider comfort, suspension mechanisms improve both safety and efficiency while keeping one or both wheels in contact with the ground and allowing the rider's mass to move over the ground in a flatter trajectory. Bicycle suspension can be implemented in a variety of ways:
Suspension of the front fork and front wheel
Stem-mounted suspension
Suspension of the seat post
Rear-wheel suspension
Additionally, combinations of the above can be provided. Bicycles with suspension front forks and rear suspensions are referred to as full suspension bikes.
One of the most common automotive suspension systems of the prior art utilizes front and rear shock absorbers such as compression springs to suspend the weight of the vehicle. The suspension springs used on shock absorbers in typical cars and trucks are constructed in a variety of types, shapes, sizes, rates, and capacities, including leaf springs, coil springs, air springs, and torsion bars. These suspension springs are used in sets of four for each vehicle, or they may be paired off in various combinations and attached by any of several different mounting systems and techniques. The suspension system has two basic functions, to keep the wheels of rolling equipment or a vehicle in firm, direct contact with the road surface and to provide a comfortable ride. Under normal conditions, the springs of the shock absorbers support the body of the car evenly by compressing and rebounding with every up-and-down movement. This up-and-down movement, however, causes bouncing and swaying after each bump and is very uncomfortable. These undesirable effects are reduced by one or more shock absorbers.
The rotary shock absorber of the present invention is a device which can be installed directly on the wheels of rolling equipment, bicycles and automobiles to facilitate absorption of shock and vibrations as they travel on the road.
U.S. Pat. No. 581,918 published May 1897 to Pope, U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,900 published June 1948, U.S. Pat. No. 2,544,924 published March 1951 to Herold Walter F. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,683,033 published July 1954 to Glenn Ashburn Roby disclose the use of helical springs for suspension system and/or coupling of shock absorber to other part of a vehicle. They however did not teach the configuration and structure of the present invention and the coupling of a rotary shock absorber to a functional wheel.